Ground Game Los Angeles is killing local journalism. We are the journalists at Knock LA, and we are asking for your help. 

Please sign our petition, and add any professional, personal, organizing or other affiliations with your name.

In 2017, members of Ground Game LA created a Medium blog called Knock LA. In 2021, Knock LA leadership re-launched the blog as an independent newsroom with the publication of Cerise Castle’s groundbreaking series on deputy gangs, ‘A Tradition of Violence.’

Knock LA has provided crucial reporting on issues facing the Greater LA region such as police corruption, investigations into abuses of power at city hall, and the ongoing homelessness crisis for the past 3 years.

Ground Game LA & People Organized for Westside Renewal have operated as fiscal sponsors of the newsroom, allowing Knock LA to run as a non-profit. At the same time, Knock LA explored options for creating its own stand alone non-profit. 

Ground Game LA has continued to disrespect Knock LA journalists and violate the newsroom’s editorial independence. 

Ground Game LA members have repeatedly disregarded and disrespected labor done by Knock LA members of color. 

• Like the time Ground Game LA’s member Akio Katano said that everything Knock LA has done since Cerise Castle became executive editor had been wrong…despite the fact that we have won several journalism awards and continued to grow our readership month to month. 

Members of Ground Game LA have demanded articles furthering their political agenda be published by Knock LA despite the editorial firewall between the organizations.

• Like the time they wanted us to only cover candidates they had endorsed in the election, and no one else. 

Ground Game LA members have repeatedly demanded free labor from our reporters, editors, and photographers. When free labor is demanded, the only people able to do it are the ones with privilege. Journalism is real work and deserves real pay. 

• As an outlet that prioritizes uplifting marginalized voices, that runs counter to our goals.
• Ground Game LA has issued checks to Knock LA freelancers that have bounced.
• Ground Game LA has not paid several Knock LA freelancers for months, even years.
• Currently, none of our admin or reporters have been paid for their work in April. 

For the past year, Ben Camacho has been the subject of an unjust lawsuit at the hands of city attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto around public records disclosure. This has the potential to change the free flow of information within the United States. Feldstein-Soto recently filed a second lawsuit against me that would make me one of two parties responsible for indemnification of police officers should the city lose its case against LAPD officers.

• Ground Game LA has offered little to no public support of Ben throughout this ordeal. As a political organizing group, now would be the time for Ground Game LA  to organize effectively around freedom of the press. Ground Game LA  has remained silent, and even endorsed a candidate for state senate that has sought to cripple press freedoms.
• This isn’t the first time Ground Game LA has left a reporter out to dry: Lisa Kwon and Knock LA were first served a cease and desist for Lisa’s unflinching and rigorous reporting on an illegal AirBnb in 2021. Knock LA and Lisa met with attorney Matthew Strugar to discuss her case. Lisa later retained Strugar to represent her. Strugar informed Knock LA administration in a February 2024 meeting that he did not represent Lisa pro bono, and expected her to pay his fees of over $10,000. 
  Knock LA’s financial resources are also extremely limited. Our monthly income is about $4,000 from small, individual monthly donations. Our monthly costs to operate are about $12,000 - leaving us consistently in the red, month to month and year to year. During this ordeal, Knock LA’s then-parent organization, Ground Game LA, had a much larger cash reserve than our newsroom. At no point did they offer to assist with Lisa’s attorney fees. 

At 8:30PM on 4/10/2024, Ground Game LA removed Executive Editor Cerise Castle, Senior Photography Editor Ben Camacho, and Editor in Chief Katja Schatte from Slack. They also deleted any accounts they individually had on the Knock LA workspace. At least one of these accounts was being used for business outside of Knock LA and has put that employment at risk.

• Due to the lockout, Knock LA has no way to contact organizations who have scheduled training and workshops to develop the newsroom’s journalism skills.
• Ground Game LA also has removed all access to our social media accounts and administrative emails - which makes it impossible for administrators to do our jobs.
• All journalists have also been completely locked out of our website - so there is no way for us to publish stories right now…even the ones that were already scheduled to go out.
• Ground Game LA has solicited our past freelancers to scab and write on the website while admins and regular contributors are locked out. 

Knock LA's main aim has always been to focus on local stories and elevate voices that often go unheard in mainstream media. Due to Knock LA’s connection with Ground Game LA, a political organizing group, Knock LA cannot apply for important newsroom funding.

Knock LA has exhausted all means of amicable separation, despite consistent gaslighting, harm and stifling of our work.

We, the contributors, freelancers and leadership of Knock LA, are now going public as a last resort to have full control of our newsroom. Please stand with us and demand that Ground Game LA return what is ours.

Please sign our petition, and add any professional, personal, organizing or other affiliations with your name. 

Ground Game LA: hands off our work! Apologize to Knock LA, gives us back our stuff, and cease the stifling of LA journalism! Free Knock LA!